Barrow said on September 3, 2013, "Any proposal should outline what we hope to achieve, and how we expect to achieve it, but we should not authorize anything that could draw us into another land war. It's important for Congress to debate the issue and vote on it, and the sooner the better. In fact, [[Congress]] should immediately return to Washington to get this debate underway."<ref>[http://www.11alive.com/news/article/305057/40/No-Ga-House-members-so-far-approve-of-military-strike-on-Syria ''11 Alive.com'', "Georgia lawmakers explain their positions on Syria," accessed September 5, 2013]</ref>

Barrow said on September 3, 2013, "Any proposal should outline what we hope to achieve, and how we expect to achieve it, but we should not authorize anything that could draw us into another land war. It's important for Congress to debate the issue and vote on it, and the sooner the better. In fact, [[Congress]] should immediately return to Washington to get this debate underway."<ref>[http://www.11alive.com/news/article/305057/40/No-Ga-House-members-so-far-approve-of-military-strike-on-Syria ''11 Alive.com'', "Georgia lawmakers explain their positions on Syria," accessed September 5, 2013]</ref>

−

=====DHS Appropriations=====

+

====DHS Appropriations====

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes">[http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/31780/john-barrow#.Ukm82X_B_A4 ''Project Vote Smart'', "John Barrow Key Votes," accessed September 30, 2013]</ref>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes">[http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/31780/john-barrow#.Ukm82X_B_A4 ''Project Vote Smart'', "John Barrow Key Votes," accessed September 30, 2013]</ref>

−

=====Keystone Pipeline Amendment=====

+

====Keystone Pipeline Amendment====

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

Line 133:

Line 132:

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c113:4:./temp/~c113vMEvNq:e679: ''The Library of Congress'', "H.R.624 CISPA (2013) (Referred in Senate - RFS)," accessed August 27, 2013]</ref> The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c113:4:./temp/~c113vMEvNq:e679: ''The Library of Congress'', "H.R.624 CISPA (2013) (Referred in Senate - RFS)," accessed August 27, 2013]</ref> The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.<ref name="votes"/>

−

=====NDAA=====

+

====NDAA====

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.<ref name="votes"/>

−

====Economy====

+

===Economy===

−

=====Farm bill=====

+

====Farm bill====

{{House Farm Bill Dem Yes|Name=Barrow}}

{{House Farm Bill Dem Yes|Name=Barrow}}

−

=====2014 Budget=====

+

====2014 Budget====

{{House Budget 2014 Dem Yes|Name=Barrow}}

{{House Budget 2014 Dem Yes|Name=Barrow}}

−

=====Government shutdown=====

+

====Government shutdown====

:: ''See also: [[United States budget debate, 2013]]''

:: ''See also: [[United States budget debate, 2013]]''

{{Support vote}} On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll504.xml ''Clerk of the U.S. House'', "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013]</ref> At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. [[Harry Reid]] rejected the call to conference.<ref>[http://www.buzzfeed.com/katenocera/government-shutdown-how-we-got-here?bffb ''Buzzfeed'', "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013]</ref> Barrow voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll504.xml ''Clerk of the U.S. House'', "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013]</ref>

{{Support vote}} On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll504.xml ''Clerk of the U.S. House'', "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013]</ref> At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. [[Harry Reid]] rejected the call to conference.<ref>[http://www.buzzfeed.com/katenocera/government-shutdown-how-we-got-here?bffb ''Buzzfeed'', "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013]</ref> Barrow voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll504.xml ''Clerk of the U.S. House'', "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013]</ref>

Line 159:

Line 158:

The comprehensive farm bill failed in the [[U.S. House|House]] due largely in part to the votes of 8 [[Democratic]] [[U.S. House|House]] members who joined the [[Republican]] majority to vote down the measure.<ref name="dems">[http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/07/agribusiness-and-the-farm-bill-wayward-dems-benefit-from-co.html?utm_source=CRP+Mail+List&utm_campaign=b081fb1463-Newsletter_7_19_20137_18_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9df8578d78-b081fb1463-210768677 ''Open Secrets'', "Agribusiness and the Farm Bill: Wayward Dems Benefit from Contributions," accessed July 19, 2013]</ref> [[U.S. House|Reps.]] [[Collin Peterson|Peterson]], Barrow, [[Sanford Bishop]], [[Cheri Bustos]], [[Sean Maloney]], [[Mike McIntyre]], [[Bill Owens]], and [[Tim Walz]] were the 8 [[Democratic]] [[U.S. House|members]] who voted to reject the bill.<ref name="dems"/> According to analysis by ''OpenSecrets.org'', many of these [[Democratic]] members have received significant political contributions from agricultural organizations that benefit from crop insurance subsidies.<ref name="dems"/> Five of the eight are on the [[United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture|House Agriculture Committee]]--[[Collin Peterson|Peterson]], [[Cheri Bustos|Bustos]], [[Sean Maloney|Maloney]], [[Mike McIntyre|McIntyre]], and [[Tim Walz|Walz]]-- from which agribusiness firms routinely target committee members with sizable contributions.<ref name="dems"/>

The comprehensive farm bill failed in the [[U.S. House|House]] due largely in part to the votes of 8 [[Democratic]] [[U.S. House|House]] members who joined the [[Republican]] majority to vote down the measure.<ref name="dems">[http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/07/agribusiness-and-the-farm-bill-wayward-dems-benefit-from-co.html?utm_source=CRP+Mail+List&utm_campaign=b081fb1463-Newsletter_7_19_20137_18_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9df8578d78-b081fb1463-210768677 ''Open Secrets'', "Agribusiness and the Farm Bill: Wayward Dems Benefit from Contributions," accessed July 19, 2013]</ref> [[U.S. House|Reps.]] [[Collin Peterson|Peterson]], Barrow, [[Sanford Bishop]], [[Cheri Bustos]], [[Sean Maloney]], [[Mike McIntyre]], [[Bill Owens]], and [[Tim Walz]] were the 8 [[Democratic]] [[U.S. House|members]] who voted to reject the bill.<ref name="dems"/> According to analysis by ''OpenSecrets.org'', many of these [[Democratic]] members have received significant political contributions from agricultural organizations that benefit from crop insurance subsidies.<ref name="dems"/> Five of the eight are on the [[United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture|House Agriculture Committee]]--[[Collin Peterson|Peterson]], [[Cheri Bustos|Bustos]], [[Sean Maloney|Maloney]], [[Mike McIntyre|McIntyre]], and [[Tim Walz|Walz]]-- from which agribusiness firms routinely target committee members with sizable contributions.<ref name="dems"/>

−

====Immigration====

+

===Immigration===

−

=====Morton Memos Prohibition=====

+

====Morton Memos Prohibition====

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224-201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224-201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

Line 166:

Line 165:

{{King Amendment 2013 Dem|Name=Barrow}}

{{King Amendment 2013 Dem|Name=Barrow}}

−

====Healthcare====

+

===Healthcare===

−

=====Healthcare Reform Rules=====

+

====Healthcare Reform Rules====

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

−

=====Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act=====

+

====Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act====

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Support vote}} Barrow voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.<ref name="votes"/>

−

====Social issues====

+

===Social issues===

−

=====Amash amendment=====

+

====Amash amendment====

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.<ref name="votes"/>

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.<ref name="votes"/>

−

====Previous congressional sessions====

+

===Previous congressional sessions===

−

=====Fiscal Cliff=====

+

====Fiscal Cliff====

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 16 Democrats that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll659.xml ''U.S. House'', "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013]</ref>

{{Oppose vote}} Barrow voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 16 Democrats that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll659.xml ''U.S. House'', "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff," accessed January 4, 2013]</ref>

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Barrow is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.

Biography

Barrow was born in Athens, Georgia. He earned degrees in political science and history from the University of Georgia in 1976. Later, at only 20 years old, he became one of the youngest members of his class at Harvard Law School, from which he earned his J.D. in 1979.[6]

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[10] For more information pertaining to Barrow's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[11]

National security

American response in Syria

Barrow said on September 3, 2013, "Any proposal should outline what we hope to achieve, and how we expect to achieve it, but we should not authorize anything that could draw us into another land war. It's important for Congress to debate the issue and vote on it, and the sooner the better. In fact, Congress should immediately return to Washington to get this debate underway."[12]

DHS Appropriations

Barrow voted in favor of HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[13]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Barrow voted against House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[13]

CISPA (2013)

Barrow voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[14] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[13]

NDAA

Barrow voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[13]

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[15] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[16][17] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[17] Barrow voted with 88 other Democraticrepresentatives in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[18][19] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[19] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[20] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Barrow joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.[18][19]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[21] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[22] Barrow voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[23]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[24] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Barrow voted for HR 2775.[25]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224-201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.[13]

King Amendment

In June 2013, the House approved an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security spending bill that would end the department's discretion policies by cutting off funding for the proposed DREAM Act, which would have temporarily halted the deportations of young immigrants if they had served in the military or were attending college. This vote overturned an executive order signed by President Obama that formalized a process for the "Dreamers" to remain in the U.S.[28][19][29]

The amendment would effectively demand the government force out "Dreamers" who came to the U.S. as children.[29] It contrasted with comprehensive immigration reform efforts, including proposed DREAM Act style legislation, and would resume the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children.[30] The amendment was the first immigration-related vote in either chamber of Congress in 2013, and it blocked many of the provisions that were mirrored in the Senate’sGang of Eight bill.[31][29]

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Barrow voted in favor of House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[13]

Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act

Barrow voted in favor of HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.[13]

Social issues

Amash amendment

Barrow voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.[13]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Barrow voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 16 Democrats that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.[32]

Frequency of Voting with Democratic Leadership

According to a July 2010 analysis of 1,357 votes cast from January 1, 2009 to June 16, 2010, Barrow has voted with the House Democratic leadership 93.5% of the time.[33] That same analysis reported that he also voted with party leadership 95.5% of the time in 2010.

Washington Post Analysis

Specific Votes

Barrow supported the auto bailout.[35] As of September 13, 2010: 56% of Americans disapproved of the auto bailout, while 43% supported it.[36]

In addition, Barrow voted for the stimulus bill.[37] 57% of U.S. voters believe that the stimulus has either hurt the economy (36%) or had no impact (21%). 38% believe the stimulus helped the economy.[38]

Barrow also voted in favor of the "Cash for Clunkers" bill.[39] According to a June 2009 Rasmussen Reports poll, 54% of likely U.S. voters opposed Cash for Clunkers, while 35% supported it.[40]

Made in Georgia tour

Barrow kicked off his "Made in Georgia" tour on August 26, 2013.[41] As part of the tour he traveled to several counties across the 12th Congressional District to visit with a variety of manufacturers and employers.[41]

Barrow said the goal of the tour is to ultimately help the job creators as they are trying to grow the economy.[41]

"Things like the uncertainty with tax policy and the uncertainty with ObamaCare are all creating a lot of problems for them, trying to plan for the future. There's a lot of pent up growth out there that are on hold while we are trying to resolve some of these uncertainties," Barrow said.[41]

The National Republican Congressional Committee listed Barrow's seat as one of seven early targets in the 2014 congressional elections.[42] The seven targets align perfectly with the seven most Republican districts currently held by Democrats, according to FairVote's partisanship index. Barrow's district ranks as the 4th most Republican (41% D).[43]

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for John Barrow, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

On November 2, 2010, John Barrow won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Raymond McKinney (R) in the general election.[47]

U.S. House, Georgia District 12 General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

John Barrowincumbent

56.6%

92,459

Republican

Raymond McKinney

43.4%

70,938

Total Votes

163,397

2008

On November 4, 2008, John Barrow won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Stone (R) in the general election.[48]

U.S. House, Georgia District 12 General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

John Barrowincumbent

66%

164,562

Republican

John Stone

34%

84,773

Total Votes

249,335

2006

On November 7, 2006, John Barrow won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Max Burns (R) in the general election.[49]

U.S. House, Georgia District 12 General Election, 2006

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

John Barrowincumbent

50.3%

71,651

Republican

Max Burns

49.7%

70,787

Total Votes

142,438

2004

On November 2, 2004, John Barrow won election to the United States House. He defeated Max Burns (R) in the general election.[50]

U.S. House, Georgia District 12 General Election, 2004

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

John Barrow

51.8%

113,036

Republican

Max Burns incumbent

48.2%

105,132

Total Votes

218,168

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Barrow is available dating back to 2004. Based on available campaign finance records, Barrow raised a total of $11,470,028 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 5, 2013.[51]

Defense contractors

According to a July 2013 Politico report, Barrow made the top 10 list of Hill members receiving defense industry contributions. As of July 2013, Barrow had received more than $39,000 from top defense firms.[58]

2012

Breakdown of the source of Barrow's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Barrow won re-election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Barrow's campaign committee raised a total of $2,876,917 and spent $2,880,362.[59] This is more than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[60]

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index

The aim of the Personal Gain Index (PGI) is to shine a light on how members of the U.S. Congress may benefit from their tenure as public servants. Researchers at the Government Accountability Institute will look at four different metrics pointing to aspects of self-enrichment.
The PGI will consist of the following metrics:

Net worth

How much did a member's net worth increase or decrease over a specified period?

The K-Street metric (coming soon)

What percentage of a member's staff were previously lobbyists?

Donation concentration (coming soon)

What industries are contributing the most to each member?

Stock trading (coming soon)

What stocks are each member holding in their portfolio?

PGI: Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Barrow's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,501,004 and $6,016,000. That averages to $3,758,502, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Barrow ranked as the 95th most wealthy representative in 2012.[62] Between 2004 and 2012, Barrow's net worth decreased by 39.1 percent. Between 2004 and 2012, the average increase in the net worth of a congressman was 72.6 percent.

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[64]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Barrow missed 86 of 6,440 roll call votes from January 2005 to March 2013. This amounts to 1.3%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[67]

Congressional staff salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Barrow paid his congressional staff a total of $919,591 in 2011. He ranks 33nd on the list of the lowest paid Democratic representative staff salaries and ranks 164th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Georgia ranks 24th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[68]

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, Barrow was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Barrow's staff was given an apparent $29,094.44 in bonus money.[69]